As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos: 4,621,589; 4,537,154; 4,597,359; and 4,667,017, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse safety harness constructions for children.
While the prior art constructions are more than adequate for the purpose and function for which they were specifically designed, they do suffer from a number of shared deficiencies.
For instance, most of the prior art constructions do not provide a locking means to prevent an unauthorized person from releasing a tethered child. Because of the increase in child abductions in recent times, it is important to provide a secure system with a locking means to protect children from kidnapping.
In addition, the single prior art construction that does provide a lock is both bulky and overly complex in its construction. This particular construction utilizes two resident lock constructions, rather than allowing for the use of any conventional padlock device. This situation is unfortunate because the specialized locking construction will dramatically increase the cost of the device. Additionally, if the resident locking means becomes non-functional, the entire construction is rendered useless.
Obviously there has been a long standing need for a safety harness for children which incorporates the features of utmost safety, affordability and adapability, and, the development of such a device is the stated purpose and objective of the present invention.